Catching a chub on a float rod: what to catch, tackle, bait

The most effective method of catching chub is fishing with a regular float rod. But this does not mean at all that it is very easy to catch a chub. To catch him, you need to show maximum patience. At the same time, show a certain cunning, otherwise the chub will outwit the angler. When catching a chub, you need to carefully mask the hook and disguise yourself to the fisherman on the shore, without making sudden movements. Suspicious noise on the shore can scare away the fish. In the absence of experience in such fishing, after reading this article, you can partially compensate for the lack of necessary information by learning more about chub fishing, and experience will come with time.

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The chub belongs to the carp family. It can grow in length up to 80 cm, with a weight of about 8 kg. As a rule, anglers catch a chub weighing no more than 1 kg, although larger specimens also come across. This fish lives from 15 to 18 years. Prefers rivers with clean, cold water and fast flow. Be sure to have a rocky-pebbly bottom and many rifts. Like most types of fish, the chub is a shy and wary fish. To catch him, you need to be well disguised. Some anglers catch the chub on spinning, using various artificial baits, and some on the usual float rod using traditional baits. Since there are many more recent fishing enthusiasts, this article will talk about how to catch this fish on a float.

When and where is the chub caught on a regular bait

You can catch it from the moment the ice comes off the river until late autumn. The chub pecks throughout the day, from early morning until sunset, as well as at night. The chub is most active early in the morning and late in the evening, when the heat subsides. At night, you can catch a trophy specimen, since during this period a large chub goes out to “hunt”.

The chub, like most other types of fish, is very sensitive to weather changes, and especially pressure drops. If you do not take this fact into account and go fishing on unstable days, then this fishing may turn out to be a waste of time. The chub is caught when the weather is stable for several days, without obvious changes in temperature and pressure. The chub is less cautious during periods when light ripples appear on the water. Therefore, a small breeze can serve as a successful fishing, in contrast to a strong wind, then the fish may stop biting altogether. When the water is clear, this fish feels wary and moves away from the shore when fishermen or extraneous noise appear on it.

The chub loves places where there are rifts and fast currents. When the water temperature drops, it goes to deeper places where the current is not so fast. It can be in the shade or under the crowns of plants hanging over the water. As a rule, various insects fall into the water from them, which he eats with pleasure. If these are fruit trees, then they can easily taste the fruits of this tree, especially if they are cherry fruits. He never passes by whirlpools, into which various spiders, worms, etc. can be drawn. It can be found in sections of the river where mud plays in the water, like strands of hair in the wind. At the same time, such places stretch for tens of meters. It can also be found on the borders of fast and slow currents, as well as in places where huge boulders peek out of the water, as if cutting through the current. It is behind such boulders that a chub can be found.

If you have some experience in finding places for the chub, then you can go fishing. It should be borne in mind that the places of accumulation of this fish depend on the seasons. In the spring, when the water has not yet warmed up, the chub stays closer to the bottom or at half water. At the same time, it can be found in the area of ​​​​rifts, where it actively feeds.

Closer to summer, when the upper layers of the water are already actually warmed up, it rises closer to the surface, where it begins to feed on insects that have fallen into the water. The chub will go to the depth only with the arrival of autumn, when the water temperature begins to drop, and there are no more objects for food on the surface of the water. At the same time, the biting of the chub does not stop, but even intensifies, as it feels the arrival of winter. If the autumn is warm, then he can peck until November, when real cold will already be on the threshold.

In the autumn, the chub can be reached from the depths with the help of bottom gear. Even on warm, sunny days, it stays deep in the pits, although it can sometimes be seen on sandbanks.

What are chub caught on

The chub is a semi-predatory fish, so it is caught on various baits of animal and vegetable origin. At the same time, there are seasonal approaches to the use of certain baits. In the spring, the most effective bait may be the cockchafer, as it is included in the daily diet of this fish. When the cockchafer begins to become active, a lot of it ends up in the water, for one reason or another. When the cockchafer flies out, the chub may completely refuse other food, especially the one offered by the angler. Fishing can be most productive if you catch a chub on the cockchafer.

Until the moment when the cockchafer flies out, the chub is caught on other well-known baits. The following baits may be most effective:

• Any kind of worm.
• Maggot.
• Bloodworm.
• May beetle larva.
• Small fish.
• Barley shell (meat).
• Cancer neck.
• Bread crust.
• Dough of any origin.

As soon as the cockchafer appears, you should immediately reorient yourself to this effective bait. There are so many Maybugs that it is not difficult to get it during this period, it is enough to hit a small tree, and they will simply fall on your head. They are collected in a box and sent for fishing.

The departure of the May beetle lasts about 2 weeks, after which you have to look for a replacement for it. In the summer, various caterpillars begin to appear, which can easily replace the May beetle. In addition to caterpillars, grasshoppers are also suitable, which can be used throughout the summer. The grasshopper keeps perfectly on the hook, so there will be no problems with casting, even over long distances. Caterpillars and grasshoppers are used when catching chub directly from the surface of the water.

With the onset of autumn, when the water begins to cool, the chub goes to the depths and stays at a depth of half a meter from the bottom. Therefore, during this period it is better to use bottom gear. The feeder is becoming more and more popular among anglers. This is a bottom rod equipped with a modern rod and a special feeder, which also serves as a sinker. A grasshopper or caterpillar, if any, is suitable as bait. In addition to them, other nozzles that were used to catch it in the spring are also suitable. Very well takes a large chub on a small frog. A small chub does not bite on a frog, but a large, trophy specimen is a must.

There is another interesting bait that the chub will not swim past without being interested in it. It turns out that the chub is a cheese lover. Cheese can be cut into cubes commensurate with the size of the hook. After that, cheese cubes are placed on a hook and thrown into the water.

Float tackle for chub

The chub is a rather cautious fish, which indicates the use of lines that are not thick or not visible in the water. Recently, anglers have begun to prefer fluorocarbon. It is not so noticeable in the water, but it has its drawbacks. It is not as elastic as monofilament line or braided line. In addition, it has less strength.

If you use a regular fishing line with a diameter of more than 0,25 mm, then the number of bites can be significantly reduced. The thickness of the leash should be even less and be within 0,2 mm. It is better to use branded reliable fishing lines with good loading capacity, since a large individual can peck, and you cannot pull it ashore without problems. Hooks are used in numbers No. 7 or No. 8, with a short forearm. The sinker should be located at a distance of no more than 10-15 cm from the hook. A rod at least 3,5 m long with a reel so that you can release the bait into free swimming when catching chub from the surface. This method of fishing, using such baits as the May beetle, various caterpillars, grasshoppers, makes fishing more productive than fishing in one place in the water column.

Choice of float per chub

When choosing a float for a chub, you should remember that this is a cautious and shy fish that does not tolerate bright colors. This means that subtle float designs should be used that would not alert the fish. You should choose floats that can imitate black, brown or neutral objects floating on the surface of the water. Goose feather floats without coloring or floats – bulbs, which resemble air bubbles floating on the surface of the water, are perfect.

Chub bites

Sometimes it is quite difficult to distinguish the bites of a chub from the bites of other types of fish. This is also due to the fact that in different water bodies he bites differently, which indicates the peculiarities of his diet. But, as a rule, chub bites are quite sharp, because he is used to grabbing everything on the go, especially insect larvae that have fallen into the water. Approximately also he grabs the bait on the hook. Basically, bites are quite sharp and unexpected, so you should always be careful not to miss the bite moment. If the moment of bite is missed, and the cutting is not carried out in time, then the chub will most likely leave with a nozzle, and the fisherman will pull out a bare hook. Due to the fact that the weight of the sinker is quite small, you should not hope for a self-cutting of the fish. Chub self-cutting is possible when it is caught on a feeder, when feeders are used, weighing about 100 g.

Bait for chub

In order for the results of fishing to be significant, it is better to take care of the bait, which may be of interest to the chub. Here you can use ready-made purchased mixtures or limit yourself to homemade bait. Oddly enough, but you can bait a chub with ordinary bread. To do this, the bread is placed in a fine-mesh net, after which the net is tied like a knot and thrown into the water on a long rope. Considering that the chub belongs to carp species, it can be interested in the same compositions as for carp.

You can find out about the compositions and methods of preparing such baits here.

Spawning of chub

Depending on the region, chub spawning starts from April and continues until the beginning of June. The beginning of the spawning of this fish can be determined by the beginning of bird cherry blossoms. Oddly enough, but many fish refuse to feed during spawning, but the chub continues to feed actively, so during this period you can count on a good catch. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that fishing for many species of fish, including chub, is prohibited during spawning. In any case, you need to know the measure, otherwise, in the near future, you can be left without fish at all.

In the third year of life, this fish is ready to breed. The spawning process begins with water heating up to +10-15°С. He chooses places with a rocky-pebble bottom. At the same time, large individuals prefer to lay their eggs in deeper places, and smaller individuals on shallows or not deep rifts.

Chub caviar is not large, resembling poppy seeds, but orange in color. Each female can lay up to a million eggs. At the same time, the number of chub in water bodies, in comparison with roach, crucian carp and other fish, remains small. This is due to the fact that the eggs are carried away by a fast current, without being fertilized. The rest is destroyed by ubiquitous predators such as perch, pike, etc.

Video “Chubby fishing on a float”